Tag Archives: Concept Designs

This vacuum cleaner gets a display uplift to sit with the other appliances at home

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Vacuum cleaners have come of age. They have evolved to be noiseless, automatic, and big dust and grime gobblers that can clean our homes, removing all possible allergens. Irrespective of all the interesting form factors, choice of materials, and functionalities they come with, vacuums still remain in one corner of the house, preferably away from sight, sitting there for longer than being used. This is essential because vacuum cleaners lack decorative usability, which can put them into the mainframe of the living area.

Vacuum cleaners are an everyday requirement we cannot do without on a daily basis now. Since their necessity, work is being done in shaping them to come out of the hiding to sit amid the other appliances in the house. But an appealing vac is yet to make the mainstream. Leaving scope for something like the BLEND I Vacuum Cleaner, which adds an interactive display to the vacuum cleaner’s stand.

Designer: Wootae Kim

The display brings usability to the otherwise idle-lying appliance between uses. The display can be used to show information such as the time, temperature, notifications and more, along with giving the vacuum cleaner a better space in the interior décor.

Drawing some design inspiration from a Dyson, the vacuum cleaner is conceived in metal, featuring harmonious curved and straight lines to create a luxurious body that can complement the novelty of the screen to gel with the interior like never before with a vacuum cleaner. The handle – with a curved finish at the top – has a conveniently angled design, which permits easy handling without straining the user’s wrist.

The display of the standing vacuum cleaner spans the entire height and width of its stand. Standalone it looks like a long thin screen with a steel body and round base. The vac when docked back into the stand for charging and security, becomes an interesting element of décor that you won’t mind placing alongside other essential appliances at home or in the office.

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Self-driving taxi for one concept is perfect for solo commuters

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The majority of self-driving car concepts envision a future where family and friends take advantage of the freedom these vehicles offer. Even strangers, however, can also benefit from autonomous vehicles by making mass transit more efficient. Not all commuters, however, are comfortable traveling with strangers, and even self-driving sedans could be a waste of space and energy for these people. If self-driving vehicles are supposed to make traveling more efficient and, therefore, more environment-friendly, then they should also take into account the needs of solo commuters, which is exactly what this concept for a single-person autonomous taxi tries to do.

Designer: Tony Ma

To be fair, not having to worry about driving while interacting with other people in the vehicle is one of the biggest pulls of the concept, but it’s not the most fundamental benefit. What autonomous cars offer is the freedom to do more important things other than almost mindless driving, whether it’s socializing, preparing for your next meeting, or even resting. Spending some alone time is not exactly easy if you’re traveling with others, whether they’re strangers or not, and having a four-passenger car all to yourself every day is a wasteful use of resources.

TAXI for one is a design concept whose name says it all. Instead of a car, it looks more like a mini golf cart split in half to fit only one person inside. And since it’s a self-driving vehicle, that person is the one and only passenger, with no other people to potentially disturb you or make you feel less secure. It’s perfect for people who, for whatever reason, prefer to travel solo and have very few things to carry with them, like going to and from the office.

The key design requirement for such a single-passenger autonomous vehicle would be the compactness of space while still providing comfort and room for storage. The latter goes into a compartment in front of the vehicle rather than at the back like a traditional trunk. This makes loading and unloading easy because the storage is near the vehicle’s door rather than forcing riders to go around first.

In exchange for the more compact form, however, the TAXI for one has very little room for reclining the seat and stretching your legs. As such, it isn’t exactly designed for longer periods of travel and is better suited for inter-city commutes only. That is probably fine for future workers who just want to get to the office and back home without much fuss, fanfare, or dealing with random people.

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Bacterial melanin clothes may protect us from UV rays in the future

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I live in a country where it’s always hot most of the year (except when it’s raining). It’s a 15-minute walk under the scorching sun from my house to my workplace and it’s something I’ve gotten used to already (albeit with a lot of complaining). I am aware of all the UV rays that I’m absorbing every day although there’s no clear manifestation of it unless I check my weather app. But it’s a very real problem that our constant exposure to UV rays will eventually bring harm to our skin.

Designer: Maca Barrera

A speculative biofabrication project by Central Saint Martins graduate Maca Barrera called Melwear project tries to imagine clothes that are made from skin pigment melanin. They can actually become a form of sun and UV protection for us and even let us know what level of UV exposure we’re getting. This project actually uses two different technologies: the creation of melanin-produce bacteria and extracting the pigment from it and the bioprinting of artificial tissues with living cells.

The idea is to use bacterial melanin as sunscreen to shield our bodies from UV radiation since it has UV absorbance and antioxidant properties. The speculative membrane with encapsulated melanin will supposedly become darker the more the wearer is exposed to UV rays. Basically it’s supposed to become a second skin that will protect the user and also react with the environment so they become more aware that we need protection from the sun and to prevent skin cancer as well.

This is still very much a speculative project so there’s no functional prototype yet other than the production of the bacterial melanin and the testing of the bioprinting technology. It’s an interesting idea that can hopefully be explored more, although thinking about wearing something that’s made from melanin doesn’t necessarily bring visions of fashionable outfits.

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Pulloof smartphone concept will live on as hanging speaker even when other phones are thrown away

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Concept phones are designed to showcase the working possibilities of what the upcoming version of an exciting lineup or an altogether a different smartphone would look and feel when launched. Deviating from this notion is this concept phone that rethinks the way mobile phones are used and disposed of the afterlife. This conceptual design draws some uncanny references to be more than a phone, a device that would survive – be useful – after the user chooses to upgrade, and doesn’t want to use the old phone anymore.

Designed keeping in mind the idea of integrating human behavior and sustainable design, the Pulloof: Smart Phone Concept is meant to survive after its lifetime, not just in memory, but as a device that is still fresh to the touch and use, besides its smartphone functionality.

Designer: Gisung Han

When presented with the question what happens when “the display disappears from a smartphone,” what would people use it for? Gisung Han long before clamshell phones took off because of their display real estate had visioned the Pulloof – inspired by a vintage B&Q radio – as a phone delivering on people’s music consumption through phone. He designed “a sustainable speaker by emphasizing the speaker” functionality of the smartphone.

The Pulloof as a sustainable solution is a dream object that remains valuable after its use as a smartphone as “something that people will keep wanting to touch.” This would be an environmentally safer option since people would stick on to their device even when upgrading to a new phone ensuring lesser electronic waste. People wouldn’t want to throw away a smartphone just because they are upgrading to a bigger screen.

Pulloof thus has a different design approach than a usual smartphone. It is a combination of pull and loop, a phone that features a hidden speaker accessible by pulling out from a round surface using a loop on the phone. With its properties and design, the designer believes, “Even if other phones are thrown away, ‘Pulloof’ will not be thrown away.” This phone will survive anywhere as a hanging speaker (from the loop), so it is usable in the bathroom or in the outdoors to keep you entertained.

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Cat tree concept proposes a multifunctional and risky design

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Living space is becoming more expensive and cramped as time goes by, and that’s especially true when you’re sharing your home with furry friends. Space for human furniture will sometimes have to give way for those designed specifically for pets unless you can find a way to combine those two in a way that creates harmony rather than turf wars. Some pet furniture, however, doesn’t seem to be conducive to that design by nature, like a cat tree whose entire purpose is to give felines a place to play, scratch, or sleep in. That’s exactly the unbelievable idea behind this unusual furniture concept that blends a cat tree and a shelf for humans in a rather visually unique way.

Designer: Ricardo Sá

Thanks to their innate agility, cats are notorious for climbing places. They’re also pretty bad at scratching surfaces (just like dogs are infamous for chewing shoes), so cat furniture is often designed to address these needs while enticing cats away from human furniture. Unlike a simple bed or house for a cat, however, a cat tree not only takes up space on the floor but also quite a bit of height from the room as well.

Inspired by the Japanese art of “tameshigiri” or test-cutting swords through rolls of straw or bamboo, Slash is a cat tree design concept that tries to make room for the needs of both cats and their owners. More specifically, it’s a shelf with inclined surfaces, definitely unusual for a shelf, that makes different areas more suited for different functions. The inclined part closest to the floor, for example, would be a good scratching pad for your cat, while the shelves that stop in the middle pillar would be ideal for books.

There is a flat shelf in the middle, and one of these has a ball hanging down for a cat to play with. The middle pillar of the cat tree has cushions at the top and bottom for the cat to sleep or perch on. The middle space can be for almost anything, especially stuff that you don’t want to accidentally fall off.

Slash has an intriguing and unconventional design that will pique the curiosity of cats and humans alike. That said, it’s rather questionable where putting human objects, especially fragile objects like a potted plant, where a cat plays is actually a good idea. You might know which shelves are for you and which are for the cat, but your feline family might have other ideas and claim everything for themselves, as cats often do.

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Camera concept has touchscreen manual controls for panoramic photography

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When I was traveling around New Zealand last year, I was treated to a daily visual feast. Everywhere I looked, I felt like I was in a scene from Lord of the Rings. Capturing images and videos on my smartphone camera didn’t do it justice. I was wishing I invested in a good DSLR camera, although taking photos and videos on my mobile device was pretty convenient already. But a higher quality camera would probably have captured these panoramic views better than my “measly” phone camera.

Designers: Álvaro Arregui Falcón, Mireia Gordi i Vila, Lucas Seidenfaden

Having something like the Keirin concept camera would also have captured the scenery beter since its focus is panorama photography. The name itself actually comes from the Japanese motor-paced cycle racing which happens in an oval track. The prototype shows that it has a curved OLED touchscreen where all the controls are located and actually wraps around the back panel. The touchscreen idea for the controls should make it easier to learn how to use than the usual manual controls on cameras. It is also pretty compact and almost the same size as a mobile phone.

The prototype tries to show that the design can actually work with the UI that they’re looking to create for the camera. It has a wide rear-mounted screen that you can use as a panoramic viewfinder and swiping through it will bring you the different manual exposure controls. It assumes of course that those who want to use this kind of camera are not the point and shoot kind of photographers but those that want to control things like aspect ratios and exposure in order to better capture panoramic photos.

The plan is for the Keirin to have a 60MP full-frame sensor with a 35mm lens and it needs to have SSD storage and mobile connectivity so your images can be backed up to the cloud automatically. It can also attach other peripherals like a panoramic optical viewfinder and a wireless flash unit. It’s highly unlikely this camera will be a commercially viable product though but it’s a nice idea to have.

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This smart desk clock boosts productivity, curbing your phone addiction for good

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Distancing from your smartphone is not that easy when you are barraged with constant notifications from apps. Productivity takes a major hit as you lose focus and the best antidote I staying connected without constantly looking at smart devices. A smart desk clock is the way to go as it helps in time management without going off the course.

According to independent research, people prefer working on their desktops and if they have a utilitarian gadget that prevents unwanted distractions while keeping you updated with the needed notifications, there’s nothing better. The PAL Desk Clock with added features like a dedicated widget space for the most needed apps is what’s going to keep you interested.

Designer: Mohit Joshi

This nifty gadget concept wants to take the heat to the likes of the Amazon Echo Show 5, Google Nest Hub, Lenovo Smart Clock and Loftie Alarm Clock. There are five main functions – time keeping, focus sessions, music playback and wireless charging. In addition to these, the desk clock has a calendar and temperature sensor. With the wide display, you can customize the widgets like weather, music playback and calendar schedules as desired. The desk clock has a wireless charging pad intentionally positioned on the back where your smartphone is out of the peripheral view.

With the dedicated focus button and the accompanying app, the phone goes into DND mode, so that the task at hand can be completed. The design of the smart desk clock is such that it goes with any kind of setup or other desk accessories. When you need some relaxing time, the music app can play audio directly with all the interface elements you would find on a music player app. This prevents you from opening the phone and going down the rabbit hole of unproductive social media apps.

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Music mixer concept uses generative AI to help you create music

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I have a lot of respect for those people who can create music on their own, especially ones that are able to produce earworm-y pop riffs. Sometimes I’ve thought about studying how to create and mix music especially now that there are equipment, apps and websites where you can do that, but you need to study a lot of things before you can actually use them. Sometimes I think, can’t I just have something in my head transferred to a machine without having to do so much work? Well, thanks to artificial intelligence, that is somewhat possible, for better or worse.

Designer: Haechan Ryu

Happy Music Mixer 07 or HPMXR 07 is a music mixer that is powered by generative AI. This means, even if you don’t have knowledge on how to use mixers, you should be able to use this machine. The goal for this concept is to democratize composing music and using AI to help out with that. There are some ongoing issues in the music industry of course about using AI but it’s still an ongoing conversation that will continue to evolve. But if you are not hesitant to use AI to fuel creativity and things like music creation, then this should be of interest to you.

The machine looks like your typical synthesizer except that it is designed to not look so intimidating, with a clean interface and layout that should be easy to understand. The first step to using it is to describe the music that you’re thinking of, setting the length, tempo, mood, genre, prompt, mixing, and other things that may be in your brain. You can also even generate an album cover that will match your song. Once the AI has generated the song, you can also mix and adjust it according to your preference before transferring the completed song through an NFC card or a USB-C type connector.

All the buttons, knobs, and keyboard are designed in an intuitive interface. The housing of the HPMXR 07 is made from aluminum and has a monochromatic color with orange highlights. The switches and stabilizers have a tactile interface so you still feel in control even as the AI helps you generate the music that is in your head. It’s a good toy to play around with if you want to experiment with creating music but you don’t have the ability to understand more complicated mixers and synthesizers.

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Handheld printer and scanner concept sticks to tried and true methods of document handling

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We live in a world filled with apps, multimedia content, and digital data, but there are and will always be things written on printed on paper. Official documents are still printed, receipts are still physical, and some people still prefer writing on notebooks and notepads. The gap between physical and digital isn’t that easy to bridge for people who want or even need to have the best of both worlds, even though there are, ironically, a handful of products claiming to offer the perfect solution. As some say, there is no perfect answer, but the best one might actually be the simplest and most straightforward. This concept device, for example, offers what looks like a traditional printer and scanner combo, except it’s something that you can easily store and take from your bag whenever and wherever you need it.

Designer: John Branca

There are quite a few product designs these days that try to unify physical and digital documents, from notebooks and pens that can record your handwriting to smartphone apps that can convert printed or even handwritten text into digital ones. The former doesn’t exactly work for digitizing what’s already printed, while the latter puts the burden on the person taking a perfect photo of the paper. These solutions also don’t work in the reverse, like turning digital files into their physical form, especially when you’re out of the office or not at home.

Scribe is a concept design that combines two things that already exist today, a portable printer and a portable scanner. In a nutshell, it shrinks 2-in-1 printer and scanner combos into a compact design that you can even carry in your hand if necessary. It has an industrial-inspired aesthetic that moves away from the predominant minimalist style, making it distinctive and memorable. It also has a large touch display that makes operating the device simple and intuitive without having to fumble on your computer or phone.

The device uses a feed-type mechanism where a piece of paper slides through the box to get printed or scanned. This does have the limitation of accommodating certain paper sizes only, though that will most likely be the most common use case for scanning receipts and printing out notes. That said, you won’t be able to scan any bound material like notebooks and books, so forget about taking this to the library. Due to size constraints, there’s also only room for a single black inkjet cartridge. ZINK technology might be more compact, but that also requires using special, non-standard paper.

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Scribe is definitely an interesting break from all the app-based, smartphone-centric solutions out there, though it still raises the question of whether it’s more convenient or not. Then again, you can’t print from your phone either, so if you’re going to bring a portable printer with you, might as well have something that can also scan those documents as well.

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Floor lamp concept is inspired by the sun and moon ecliptical orbit

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As I live in a not so big space, I only need to have desk lamps in my living room and bedroom for both ambient and functional lighting. But one of my dreams if I eventually get a bigger place is that I can put one or two floor lamps around to add to the aesthetics of my apartment. I like looking at interesting designs for lamps and bookmarking them for future reference, especially ones where much thought is put into a design.

Designer: Sancho Martin

The Eclipse Floor Lamp is a concept that was inspired by the idea of the eclipse where the sun or moon crosses each other’s paths. This time around, the sun and moon are represented by two circular screens that emit a “soft and enveloping atmosphere” when they are aligned and the light bounces between them. This is the perfect ambient lighting for when you want the floor lamp to be part of your room’s aesthetics.

When the horizontal screen is adjusted, you can turn the lamp into a more functional lighting source. The light is directed downwards so you can have it more focused like when you’re working, reading, or you just need some light to see something. There is also a spherical shape on a small hook in the main axis which serves as the power button which is easy to access and also intuitively placed.

The Eclipse Floor Lamp has a pretty minimalist design so it can fit in perfectly no matter what your room’s aesthetics is. It can be placed near the couch, working table, or even by the door or window if you just want it to be more of an ambient lamp rather than a fully functional one.

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